Professor Peeta Mellark, PhD
by english5672
Summary: Everlark, AU: Set four years after the end of Hot for Teacher (and about an hour after I Think I Wanna Marry You). Peeta is feeling frustrated and discouraged about his future and Katniss doesn't know what to do for him, so she asks Madge for some advice.


**Hey All! This was my submission to the awesome charity, S2SL. It is meant to serve as a prologue to the potential sequel of Hot for Teacher, Hot for Professor. I do have quite a bit of writing to do this summer and I'm not sure what I'll begin writing first, but I WILL definitely be writing this summer. I'll just let you all (and myself) be surprised : ). **

**MUCH thanks must always go to soamazinghere. She turns the shitty documents I send her into something I can be proud of. Thank you, soamazinghere! Thank you also goes to streetlightlove for orchestrating S2SL, her and her husband did an AMAZING job and I feel honored to have been able to participate. **

* * *

"Shut up, Peeta, I wasn't tearing up! Some lint from your stupid flannel shirt got in my eye and I was blinking it out!" I grumble as I wait for Peeta to unlock the door to his apartment.

"You were, Katniss! I swear to God!" Peeta laughs as he opens the door and lets us in.

I glare at him as I toe off my shoes and flop down on his couch. "Shut up."

Peeta chortles as he walks into the kitchen. "Shit, I forgot to go to the grocery store earlier. Do you mind if we just get pizza tonight?" he calls out.

Despite my irritation at his teasing, I can't help but perk up a little at the suggestion. "When do I ever mind getting pizza for dinner?"

Peeta appears in the doorway. "Um, never?"

I stand up and walk over to him so I can slip my arms around his waist. "Exactly," I affirm as I press myself against him, lightly scraping my nails against his back. Peeta moans quietly as I shift onto the balls of my feet, brushing my lips ever so slightly against his. "And I _wasn't_ crying," I tell him quietly. Before he has a chance to kiss me, I slap his ass and saunter down the hallway into his room.

"I'm taking a shower," I call out over my shoulder.

I resist the urge to look behind me to see his reaction, but I smile to myself when I hear him groan and shout, "You're going to kill me, woman!"

Part of me expects Peeta to join me in the shower, and as I towel off my wet body a few minutes later, I have to say that I'm a little disappointed he didn't. But maybe he was just hungry and decided to quickly call in the pizza for us. I throw on one of Peeta's t-shirts and a pair of sleep shorts that always make him groan appreciatively when he sees me in them. I quickly comb out my hair and pull it up into a towel turban before going into the kitchen to help Peeta make something to go with our pizza. To my surprise, the kitchen is completely empty, not a vegetable or cutting board in sight. "Peet?"

I furrow my brow in confusion, and when I turn the corner I see Peeta sitting quietly in the living room. "Hey, I was thinking maybe we could make a salad to go with our pizza?" I suggest. Peeta nods but doesn't say anything. "Are you okay?" I ask as I cross the room to sit next to him on the couch, concerned at his lack of interest in dinner.

Peeta lets out a loud exhale through his nose. "I just checked my email. I didn't get into Capitol University." About a year ago, Peeta decided that, as much as he loves teaching high school, he would be much happier pursuing his Ph.D. and teaching at a university. I was a little surprised to hear that he wanted to leave the high school classroom, but I've tried my best to be as supportive as possible, helping him with his statement of purpose and putting together application packets.

My shoulders slump. "What? I thought _for sure_ you would get in!"

Peeta gives me a sad smile. "I did, too, but getting into graduate school is so competitive that I couldn't be sure."

I bite my lip, unsure of what to say to reassure him. Although Peeta is very intelligent, he's still young, and getting into Ph.D. programs is extremely difficult; so far he's been rejected from four other schools. The only school he hasn't heard from yet is the University of Panem. The odds don't seem to be in his favor. "Well, we've still got U of P! Right?" I'm trying to be encouraging, but I think I sound like a moron.

Peeta nods, but he looks so discouraged that I don't think anything I say could help. Instead I get up and straddle his lap, crushing his body to mine in a tight hug. I can feel my towel slipping off my head so I shake it off, letting it fall to the floor. Peeta buries his head in my neck and holds me close. "What if I don't get in anywhere?" He says it so quietly I don't know if he meant for me to hear it or not.

"Then you'll keep teaching at a school you love and try again in a few years."

Peeta nods his head and squeezes me tightly before releasing me. Gently, he pushes my torso away from his and rubs his hands up and down my sides. "Come on. I'll start on the salad while you call the pizza place."

* * *

"So Peeta really hasn't heard back from any schools yet?" Finnick asks around a mouthful of fruit salad.

I grimace as I swallow a bite of pasta. "Well, he has, but they've all been rejections."

Madge scrunches her nose. "Oh man, that's got to be rough on him," she says.

I'm not really sure how to respond. Truthfully, when I agreed to go out to lunch with Finnick and Madge, I was hoping that neither of them would bring it up. Even though I'm not the one applying to graduate school, I find myself getting secondhand anxiety for Peeta, a feeling that has grown exponentially with every negative response he's received. "I'm nervous for him," I admit. "He was so enthusiastic about applying, and he put a lot of effort into writing great applications…but now I don't know if it'll be enough. He's so young, and a lot of times those committees like seeing people with longer resumes."

Finnick runs a hand through his hair. "Oh, man, that sucks. I bet he's stressing out big time right now."

I nod my head and use my fork to push my food around my plate. "I just wish there was something I could do for him. I mean, I know he knows I'm there for him, but I wish I could just take all this stress away."

"Well, in a couple weeks the stress of not knowing will be gone, one way or another. He'll either be accepted or rejected," Finn muses.

I'm still a little on edge as I think about the tension Peeta has been exuding of late. "I know he's trying to hide how much it's affecting him, but he's just been so uptight lately. The other day he got mad at me for scratching his Calphalon pan. I don't even _use_ his Calphalon pan! I don't even know what Calphalon is!" I huff out.

Madge looks thoughtful for a moment before she comments, "So, I imagine the sex hasn't been super great, huh?"

I choke on the water I was sipping and Finnick slaps me on the back. "Excuse me?" I choke out.

Madge rolls her eyes. "Honestly, Katniss, it's been almost four years. We all know you guys have sex."

"Yeah, we've heard _way_ too much over the years, Kat. Those _aren't_ study sessions going on in your room," Finnick unhelpfully adds.

I glare at my two former friends. "Okay, okay, so maybe his stress has had a bit of an effect. So what, dry spells happen. Right?"

Finnick quirks an eyebrow. "I guess so. Well…how long has it been?"

I blush furiously, embarrassed with the turn in conversation. "Um…a few weeks?"

Madge drops her fork. "Fuck."

Finnick's lips purse together. "Um…"

"What? It's not that big of a deal!" I huff out, feeling rather defensive at this point. "I've been super busy and he's been under a lot of stress. It's not like we don't love each other, we just haven't…been real intimate."

"It's okay, Katniss, we didn't mean to make you feel judged," Madge says gently as she places a hand on my arm.

"I just…I guess I just don't know what to do for him right now. I don't know what he needs," I admit.

Madge shrugs her shoulders. "Well, maybe if you spiced things up in the boudoir, you could help relieve some of the…tension…that Peeta's been feeling."

"What?" I ask, feeling my eyes bug out of my head.

"Well…what if you wore some fancy lingerie under your nice work clothes so that when you seduce him he'll have a nice little present to unwrap?" Madge suggests.

I snort. "Uh, my work clothes consist of a white lab coat and dirty jeans."

"What about that nice pencil skirt and button-down blouse I made you buy a few months ago?"

I groan as Finnick cackles. "Come on, Finn, help me out here!" I implore.

"As much as I would love to contact Peeta and _warn him_ about the shitshow that's inevitably about to go down, I'm not getting in the middle of this. I think I'll just sit back and watch this unfold," Finnick replies with an annoying wink.

"Thanks, Finn," I respond drily, irritated at his lack of assistance. When I turn to look at Madge, she has a goofy grin on her face. "What? Madge, I just don't think I'm the kind of person who'd do something like that."

Madge rolls her eyes. "You're not the kind of person to have hot, amazing, earth-shattering sex with your boyfriend? Katniss, it's not that big a deal- women wear lingerie for their significant others all the time."

Finnick nods in agreement. "It's not like she's telling you to buy butt plugs, she's just telling you to wear some skimpy panties under your work clothes," he says in between bites of his sandwich.

"I thought _you_ weren't getting in the middle," I retort, and Finnick shrugs in response. I see my two friends looking at me with exasperated looks on their faces, and I find myself caving, just a little. "Fine! I'll _consider_ it, how about that?"

"Yes! I'll take it!" Madge squeals. "Now, Gale and I were talking, and even though it's cliché, I really think I want to be a 'June bride'…"

* * *

Oh, God. I grit my teeth as I try and fix the little scrap of lace that's shoved itself up my ass for what feels like the thousandth time in the last thirty minutes. Madge better be right, this better be worth it. After our lunch with Finnick the other day, she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and simply took me straight to the closest lingerie store. I spent almost a hundred dollars on scraps of lace that Peeta's just going to rip off…assuming he wants to, that is.

"_Madge, how much longer?" I whine as she works on the ties of the corset I'm wearing._

"_Shut up, Katniss, I'm doing you a huge favor. Peeta thinks he's coming home to you in your sweatpants eating Chinese food. He's about to get the surprise of a lifetime, thanks to me." _

_I grumble as Madge fixes my garter belt. "Yeah, yeah," I grumble._

_She rolls her eyes. "Okay, let's get you in your work clothes."_

_Madge helps me put on my pencil skirt and I button up my nicest blouse. I look at myself in the mirror, my hair wild and wavy, my eyes smoky, and my lips glossed. I know I should feel sexy, but I just feel like a fraud. "Ugh, Madge, I look so stupid. And this skirt is way too tight."_

_Madge comes up behind me and puts her hands on her hips as her reflection looks at mine. "No, you are radiant, radiant as the sun," she says exaggeratedly, coaxing a laugh from me. "Come on, you look amazing! You're more than pretty, you're sexy. You're more than beautiful, you're a knock-out," Madge tells me with confidence as she smiles encouragingly._

_I take a deep breath and repeat her words, convinced that Madge is going to kill me with all of this. "I'm more than pretty. I'm more than beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun. I am sexy."_

_Madge nods. "Good. Peeta's going to flip out when he sees you in all this." She playfully smacks my butt as she gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. Maybe Madge has been my friend the whole time._

"_Thanks, Madge," I tell her gratefully._

Peeta will be home any minute, so I try to arrange myself in the most seductive pose possible on the couch, but my skirt is so tight that it hinders any movements I try to make. All too soon, I hear the sound of the lock on the front door jiggling. Frustrated, I end up standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room as Peeta comes through the door. This is going to be such a shitshow. "Hey! Wow…" he trails off as he takes in my appearance. "Did you have something at work today?" he asks as he furrows his brow, probably trying to remember if I mentioned anything to him earlier.

"Oh, um, yeah. Big university meeting." I stutter out the lie, suddenly nervous. _What if he thinks all of this is stupid?_

Peeta smiles as he walks towards me to give me a quick kiss. "Well, you look beautiful. Did the meeting go well? What was it about?"

Balls. I hadn't thought the lie out this thoroughly, so I try to deflect. "Oh, it was fine. But, um, how was your day? What did you do? How were your classes?" Suddenly I remember the wine I have sitting on the coffee table, step one in the seduction plan Madge concocted. "Would you like some wine?"

Peeta raises his eyebrows as he puts down his bag. "Um, I don't know which question to answer first," he responds slowly. _Such_ a shitshow. "I'd love some wine, but let me just change into something more comfortable really quick."

I smile as he walks out of the room, but as soon as he's out of eyesight I release a large breath. This corset is digging in my ribs, making it difficult to breathe normally, which is a bit of an issue. I freeze as I hear Peeta call out, "Hey, don't you want to change, too?"

"Oh, um, no thanks. I'm fine," I lie.

Peeta walks out of his bedroom with nothing but sleep pants on. Geez, he looks amazing. "Why not? You always change after work. And I think it's sexy when you wear my clothes," he says as he puts his hands on my waist and looks me up and down.

I bite my lip as I move to sit on the couch. "I know, I just want to stay like this for a while. Come sit next to me," I say as I try and maneuver myself into the most comfortable position possible. Peeta watches with a bemused look on his face as I shift awkwardly into several positions, none of which make it any easier to sit in this damn corset. I try leaning back a little, but I end up pushing my face into a weird double chinned position, my chin tucked into my neck as my abs tense up.

"Yeah, because you're looking so comfortable," Peeta says as he sits tentatively next to me, giving me a look that clearly says he thinks I'm a weirdo.

I try to reply, but I'm stuck in this strange reclined position and my corset is digging into my ribs, making it incredibly difficult to breathe. Shitshow. I smile as I try and rearrange my position, but all Peeta does is stare at me. "Kat, do you need help?" he asks carefully.

I try and shift so that I'm perched on the edge of the sofa, but as I turn to him to shake my head in response, somehow the movement causes me to lose my balance, propelling me onto the floor in a flurry of flailing limbs. I hear the sound of wine glasses hitting the floor and feel rather than see wine spilling onto my hair. "Katniss!" Peeta exclaims as he moves to help me up.

The corset has forced my torso into a very stiff position, leaving me helpless as Peeta lifts me from the ground. As he hoists me onto the couch I hear a ripping sound. Peeta looks horrified. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" he stutters out.

I feel mortified as I reach behind me to find that the entire back seam of my skirt is ripped open. I _knew_ it was too tight. Peeta looks down and sees the puddle of wine on the floor. "Crap! I'm never going to get my deposit back!"

He runs into the kitchen to grab cleaning supplies, but I don't know how it'll help. Red wine is all over his carpet, sofa, and me. Peeta returns quickly with towels and seltzer water. "Here you go," he says as he shoves a wet towel into my hand.

I sit, frozen, as I watch Peeta clean the mess. When he finishes, he turns to me and heaves a huge sigh. "Does Madge still have that carpet deep cleaner? Maybe if she comes over tonight we can get this stain out."

I can't help it. I burst into tears.

"Katniss! What's wrong? I'm not mad at you,," Peeta says, wrapping his arms around me.

I cry into his shoulder. I'm embarrassed and frustrated, and I just want to put on some sweatpants and go to bed. "This is just…it's just such a _shitshow_!" I exclaim.

Peeta pulls back and gives me a perplexed look. "All you did was spill some wine - it's not the end of the world."

I sniffle as I try to explain. "No, it's just that I…I had this whole elaborate thing planned to surprise you, and now it's ruined!"

"What do you mean?"

I pull away and wipe the tears off my face before beginning to unbutton my blouse. Peeta's eyes widen as he sees the black lace corset underneath. Frustrated, I untuck my blouse and reach behind me to unzip what's left of my skirt. I kick off my heels as I stand up and shove the skirt down my legs and onto the floor, revealing the stockings attached to garters and my tiny lace underwear. Peeta just stares as I try and shrug off my shirt, but I only end up getting my arms tangled. "Peeta, can you please help me?" I ask in a tiny, wavering voice, more embarrassed than I think I've ever been before.

This spurs Peeta into action as he gets up and helps me out of my shirt. I give him a watery smile as he rests his forehead on mine. "I love you so much, Katniss, but you don't need all this to be sexy. You're already sexy, just as you are."

"Thanks," I answer as I press our lips together. Before our kiss can become anything more than chaste, I break it off and pull away. "Because I'm _never_ wearing this again. Can you help me out of this corset? I'm having some breathing issues."

Peeta chuckles as he moves behind me to undo the ties, and the fish and eyehooks. "No wonder you've been huffing and puffing this whole time. I thought it was just my good looks that had you so breathy," he jokes.

I smile and patiently wait for Peeta to finish undoing my corset. When the task is completed and I feel the material sag against me, I fold my arms across my middle to hold the front of the corset in place. Peeta lightly runs his hands up and down my now exposed back, and I sigh in relief. "Geez, Kat, there's red marks all up and down your back." I groan as I think about what a horrible, horrible idea this was and how much shit Madge is going to get from me later.

Peeta moves my hair over my shoulder as he grips my hips and begins to kiss a slow trail from my neck all the way down my spine. I feel goose bumps rise over every inch of skin he carefully and tenderly kisses. He drops down to his knees and I sigh as I feel his cheek press against my back while he hugs me close to his body.

I revel in the feeling of being this close before I turn in his arms to face him, dropping the corset on the floor and revealing my bare torso to him. Peeta's eyes darken as he takes in my topless form. I run my hands through his hair as I whisper, "Take me to bed, Peeta."

Peeta stands and gives me one more quick kiss before he takes my hand and leads me to the bedroom. As soon as the door closes behind us, Peeta spins me and pulls me flush against his chest. Before I have a chance to speak, he crushes his mouth to mine, his tongue plunging into my mouth. I clutch his shoulders as he devours me, hands wandering down my back to cup my ass, massaging me for a moment before he picks me up, just as we've done so many times before. Peeta groans when I wrap my legs around his waist, rubbing my center against the growing bulge in his sleep pants.

Desperate for air, I break my mouth away from his after a few moments, panting heavily. His eyes flash as I bite my lip; when I roll my hips against his growing erection, he growls as he strides to the bed, laying me down as he crawls on top of me. My legs immediately go back to their position around his waist and we both moan when the weight of his body presses me onto the bed. Peeta leans down and kisses me deeply, his tongue reaching out to taste mine for a moment before he pulls away. "Peeta…" I whine, until I feel him kiss a trail across my jaw and down to my neck, pausing only to suck on the spot that makes my back arch against him.

I release my legs from around his waist and allow him to settle in the space between them. His head dips lower and I cry out as I feel him lick the very tip of my nipple, teasing me as he pulls back to blow a cool breath of air where his mouth had just been. I feel myself getting wetter by the second as he flicks the nipple with his tongue, and when he sucks it into his mouth, my hands fly into his hair, holding him close to me. Peeta's hand wedges itself behind my back to pull me closer to him before sliding down to grab my ass, drawing my hips close to his.

Peeta kisses a sloppy trail down my torso and I shiver as I feel him inch closer to my center. I shriek when Peeta blows a cold breath of air on my visibly soaked panties, and I hear him chuckle against my inner thigh. Before I can respond, he begins to undo the clips that attach my garter to my thigh-high stockings. When his eyes meet mine I pant heavily as he slowly, teasingly caresses my thighs while he undoes each clip. Even after years of being together, that lustful, wanting look in his eyes still makes me shiver with anticipation.

Soon though, Peeta's brow furrows as he struggles to pull down the garter belt. "Ow," I hiss out painfully as I feel the fabric pulling against my skin. Peeta leans forward and tries to yank the garter belt over my head, but I wince when it scrapes against my breasts. I'm trying to stay in the moment we've created, but the painful friction against my skin is making it difficult. "How the hell did you get this on?" he asks, slightly befuddled.

My eyes close as I try to remember. "I'm not really sure," I admit. "Madge helped me."

I sit up awkwardly, and we work together to get the garter belt off, with only a few curse words and huffs of frustration when it tangles in my hair. Finally, Peeta throws the belt onto the ground with a triumphant look on his face. He leans forward at the same time I do and we bump heads.

"This is such a mess, Peeta," I groan as I flop back down on the bed, squeezing my eyes shut in frustration. Seriously, how hard is it to seduce your own boyfriend? Why is this so difficult for me? Peeta and I have been sleeping together for over three years now and never have I felt so blundering and awkward. Tears prick my eyes as I rub my hands over my face. What is _wrong_ with me?

I feel myself overthinking everything and part of me just wants to roll over and fall asleep. I'm about to open my eyes and tell Peeta to just forget this whole thing, when I feel a soft kiss on my abdomen. My eyes open and I see Peeta looking at me with such tenderness and love; I realize that without me even saying anything, he knows what I was thinking. He gives me a soft smile as he begins to kiss the red marks left on my skin from the garter belt fiasco. He slowly kisses every inch of my torso, from my hips up to the valley between my breasts. My breaths are coming long and deep as I revel in the sensations. My legs separate and his body falls into the space between them. When we're face-to-face, Peeta looks deeply into my eyes, conveying words that don't need to be said. I understand them anyway. "I love you," he says simply.

That's all I needed to hear. Tentatively, I press my lips to his. Peeta sucks in a noisy breath through his nose as he pulls me close, hugging my body to his. His mouth opens and my lips part as his tongue reaches out to slide against mine. My hands are everywhere on him, never settling on one place for too long, eager to touch every part that I can. Eventually they find purchase on his lower back as I press his hips into mine, grinding my center against his growing erection.

Peeta's hands move from my waist, one shifting up to cup my breast and the other down to cup my ass. I gasp as he pushes his bulge against me, rubbing my clit in the most delicious way. Desperate for air, Peeta pulls away and I can feel his hot breath on my neck as he pants out, "I need to feel you."

With that statement, he leans back and immediately reaches for the panties I'm wearing. By this point I know I've soaked through them, and I gasp when Peeta quirks an eyebrow and licks his lips. I can't help but squirm a little as he looks me over; I'm desperate to feel him against me again. "Okay, okay," he chuckles as he takes my panties off.

All of a sudden he's on his stomach with his arms around my hips, pulling my center towards his face. "Peeta!" I exclaim when I feel his tongue pass over me. "Fuck, Peeta!"

Peeta moans against me as he laps at my folds, every so often pausing to thrust his tongue inside. My hands hold onto the headboard behind me in an attempt to tether myself to the earth. When Peeta's tongue reaches up and flicks my clit, a moan is drawn out of me and my hands fly to tangle themselves in Peeta's hair while my hips buck against his face. When Peeta begins to suck on my clit and swirl his tongue around, I feel myself on the brink of shattering. "Yes, yes, _yes_, Peeta!"

Peeta moans around my clit, and that's my undoing. All I can feel is pleasure coursing through my veins as my eyes screw shut and colors burst before them. I vaguely register the sound of my own panting, but that's nothing right now. I blink my eyes open and they immediately lock onto Peeta's. As soon as I see the lust and desire in his eyes I reach out to him. He comes forward and gives me a sloppy kiss, but it's not enough. "More," I gasp, using my feet to push his sleep pants down his hips.

Peeta reaches down and helps me tug his pants down the rest of the way, both of us moaning simultaneously when his erection slides against my slickly coated folds. I grasp his length in my hand and guide him so that just the tip is inside of me. Peeta pants in my ear as I coat him with my slickness, and I keen loudly when I bring him up to graze against my clit. All I can hear are Peeta's moans as I bring him back to my center, and with one thrust of his hips, he's fully inside me.

My back arches as I'm filled with him. Peeta holds me close, and when we lock eyes, he slowly begins to thrust in and out of me. My hands float up and down his back, lightly touching as I allow myself to just feel him. My body is tightly strung, ready for another orgasm, but I never want this moment to end. This moment, where it's just Peeta and me, where the only thing I can see is him, the only thing I feel is him moving inside me. "I'm close, Kat," he breathes out.

His hand moves down from my breast, and when he begins making small circles on my clit, I lose it. As I reach my high, I hear Peeta shout my name as he releases inside of me. His weight collapses onto me and I wrap my legs and arms around his body, knowing that I probably look stupid clinging to him like this, but desperately craving to feel his body close to mine. Eventually our breaths will slow back to normal and we'll have to let go, but for now all I want to feel is his face buried in my neck as he mumbles, "I love you" in my ear.

* * *

The next morning I wake up with my leg flung over Peeta's hips and my head resting on his shoulder. "Good morning," I hear him say.

I squeeze my eyes shut, not ready to greet the day or to even leave the confines of the room. I'm too happy and content to do anything else. "Do you want to go for a run in a little bit?" he asks.

I grimace and use the leg already flung over him as leverage to move myself on top of him, pinning him to the bed. His chest rumbles as I bury my face in his neck, my hair curtained around us. My movement made the sheets we were sleeping under slide almost all the way down my back, and I feel Peeta's arms wrap around me. "Maybe not, then?" he chuckles. "How about breakfast at that café you like down by Star Square? What's it called? Café 451?"

As reluctant as I am to get up, I can't pretend that the thought of breakfast doesn't make me perk up. I nod my head and Peeta squeezes my waist before I lean back to prop my arms on his chest, allowing us to be face to face. After last night I feel the need to say something, to express how wonderful it is, how much I appreciate him for loving me despite how much my feeble plans strayed off course. "Peeta…I, um, last night…" Fuck. I give up. "I love you," I finish simply.

Peeta's eyes soften and he presses his lips to mine. It's a promise. It's an "I love you, too."

I pull back and smile as I get up to use the bathroom adjoining Peeta's bedroom. After I'm finished and go to his dresser to pull some underwear out of my drawer, I see that Peeta has made no movement to get out of bed. Instead, he's sitting up against the headboard, staring intently at his phone. It doesn't take Peeta long to get ready, so I'm not completely surprised to see him still in bed.

"You know, I think I might want to try something different this time. I always get the French toast, but maybe I'll try the omelet," I muse as I hook my bra into place. "What are you going to get?" I ask as I pull a clean shirt out of the drawer.

I look over at him when I don't get a response. "Peeta?"

Hearing his name snaps him out of whatever trance he was in. When he finally looks at me, I see tears in his eyes. Immediately, I go over to the bed to sit next to him. "What's wrong?" I ask fearfully, thinking of his parents or brothers, imagining a million awful scenarios.

Slowly, a smile crosses Peeta's face. "I just got an email from the University of Panem. Haymitch and one of my old professors helped put a good word in for me. I've been accepted to their Ph.D. program!"

In a completely un-Katniss-like shriek, I pounce on him. "Peeta! That's fantastic!"

I kiss a sloppy trail to his lips and he kisses me back hard, allowing me to feel his excitement. His arms wrap around me, and when he pulls his lips away I can see the utter joy and disbelief on his face. "I wasn't sure if they could do it…when I didn't hear anything back for so long I thought there was no chance…" he stutters out.

"I'm so proud of you, Peeta."

He gets a giddy smile on his face. "Peeta Mellark, Ph.D.," he says with almost child-like glee.

His excitement is infectious. "Professor Mellark," I add happily.

Professor Mellark. I might like the sound of that.


End file.
